Since its inception, Facebook has rapidly transformed itself into a larger-than-life social networking phenomenon. When a Harvard student started it in 2004, he could hardly have imagined that the network he developed for campus communication would take the world by storm. In the ensuing years, Facebook has become a major tool for online marketing.
Marketing has always been about figuring out innovative methods of getting a product or service in front of interested people. Small wonder, then, that Facebook has become one of the strongest options for online advertising. It has so many different ways to connect with potential customers that online marketers can use Facebook to create a unique marketing strategy for developing a relationship with those users. If information is power, Facebook’s ability to spread information to millions of members within minutes, simply by sharing the news with just one member of a group is a powerful tool in the hands of a company.
Because of the huge number of members on Facebook, online marketers are able to get their products and services in front of people who would have been neglected with conventional marketing techniques. These people might never have known about the company except through Facebook, because other means of advertising are very limited in comparison. Unlike the online method of targeting customers, a single ad on the radio or television could cost businesses a large amount of money.
Facebook, though, allows companies to make their brands more visible at virtually no cost at all. Making a company or product into a household name is often one of the key success factors in marketing. When a company’s brand is recognized, more people are apt to visit the company’s site.
Companies are using Facebook to foster relationships with more potential clients and to bolster loyalty. Companies can find out customer opinions and deal with them immediately through rapid responses. The customers can comment on the company’s Facebook page, leaving comments or suggestions. It’s essentially a free public opinion poll.
Companies active on Facebook can also respond rapidly to customers. They can immediately respond to any comment and rapidly address any public relations issues that may arise. Answering consumer questions quickly can only help to enhance a company’s reputation.
Thanks to the ample resources available within Facebook, the social network is an effective medium for the generation of leads. Company Facebook pages serve as an effective portal to funnel potential clients into the official company website. At the official website, the company can build up its potential customer database by getting the pre-sold Facebook members to register their email addresses for company newsletters or product offers. As well as attracting new members to the site, marketers can surf through the different pages on Facebook in search of prime candidates with similar interests who can be approached in the interest of their companies.
Today and in the foreseeable future, social network sites are the essential tool for online marketing. There are few other traditional marketing tools that can compare to the potential of Facebook and other social media applications. Though there are various other social media sites, no other site is a match to Facebook in its popularity. Hence, business owners should ensure a strong Facebook presence if they wish to promote their products.